Bright fireball streaks over Belgium, nearly 170 reports received

A bright fireball was observed streaking through the night sky over northern Europe at 21:11 UTC on June 16, 2018. The event lasted several seconds.

The International Meteor Organization (IMO) received 168 reports by 09:50 UTC on June 18. The object was observed Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and France.

It was recorded by several cams of the FRIPON network as well as residents.

First analysis indicates the meteor flew above Belgium. Its visual flight started over Vielsalm and Saint-Vith, Belgium. 

The fireball went North-East (azimuth ~ 316°), with a ~40° inclination with the horizontal, on a ~75 km (46 miles) long path. It disappeared after fragmenting at an altitude of ~30 km (18.6 miles) altitude around 10 km (6 miles) NE of Liège, IMO said.

Image copyright Gernot Meiser, TWAN-Planetarium.de

Image copyright U. Reichert

Fireball seen from The Netherlands. Credit: Dumpert. Video is available at the following link.

Featured image: Bright fireball over Belgium on June 16, 2018. Image copyright Gernot Meiser, TWAN-Planetarium.de